Ford's Mustang turns 50

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – The Ford Motor Co.'s iconic Mustang was first introduced to the world on April 17, 1964. Click through to see how the car has evolved over the years.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – The 1965 Ford Mustang is officially revealed at the New York World's Fair in Flushing, New York, on April 17, 1964. Standard equipment for the car included carpet, bucket seats and a 170-cubic-inch, six-cylinder engine that was coupled with a three-speed floor-shift transmission.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1965 Ford Mustang fastback. The fastback was not an option when the car was originally introduced in 1964, but it was added in 1965.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1966 Ford Mustang GT350H. The GT350H was a limited run, produced for Hertz as a "rent-a-racer" in participation with Shelby American. The rental car was based on the stock GT350 fastback, but it came with an automatic transmission.

Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1971 Ford Mustang Boss 351 fastback. The Boss 351 debuted in 1971 with a 351 "Cleveland" V-8 and Cobra Jet heads. The 1971 cars were also the biggest Mustangs ever, nearly a foot longer and 700 pounds more than the original.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1972 Ford Mustang Sprint edition fastback. The Sprint was the only new model offered for 1972. It included a special red, white and blue exterior package with coordinated interior.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1973 Ford Mustang convertible. Rising gas prices brought an end to the big muscle cars, and 1973 was the last model year for the original Falcon platform Mustang.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1974 Ford Mustang II. The car went on a major diet with the completely redesigned Mustang II, coming in 19 inches shorter and 490 pounds lighter. Gone is the V-8; the only two engine choices were an 88-horsepower 2.3-liter inline-four or a 109-horsepower 2.8-liter V-6.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1975 Ford Mustang II Ghia. The V-8 came back in 1975, but the 302-cubic-inch engine produced only 133 horsepower -- and only with an automatic transmission.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1976 Ford Mustang II Cobra II. The Cobra II, meant to recall the famed Shelby Mustangs, came with a nonfunctional hood scoop, a racing stripe sand front and rear spoilers. It was available in white with blue stripes, blue with white stripes, and black with gold stripes.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1977 Ford Mustang II Cobra II. In an attempt to win back convertible fans, Ford offered a removable T-top option on fastback models. A four-speed manual transmission was also added by the way of a sports performance package with the 302-cubic-inch V-8.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1978 Ford Mustang II King Cobra. The new King Cobra was the first to wear a "5.0" badge -- the metric equivalent of the V-8's 302-cubic-inch displacement.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1979 Ford Mustang coupe. This marked the third generation of Mustangs with the introduction of the "Fox" platform. It was longer and taller than the Mustang II yet 200 pounds lighter. The new engine lineup included a 2.3-liter four-cylinder (including a 140-horsepower turbo version), a 2.8-liter V-6, a 3.3-liter inline-six and a 140-horsepower 5.0-liter V-8.

Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1981 Ford Mustang. The turbo four-cylinder was dropped from the engine lineup in 1981, and new emissions controls dropped the 255-cubic-inch V-8's power down to 115 horsepower.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1982 Ford Mustang GT. The GT moniker returned after a 12-year absence. Optional T-tops made a comeback as well, as did the 5.0-liter V-8. This one rated at 157 horsepower with a two-barrel carburetor.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1983 Ford Mustang convertible. The convertible returned after being absent for 10 years. The Mustang GT's 5.0-liter V-8 also got a boost from a Holley four-barrel carburetor, beefing up the horsepower to 175.

Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1985 Ford Mustang SVO. The SVO series came from the Special Vehicle Operations group that ran Ford's racing programs. It featured an off-center functional hood scoop with a turbo-charged four-cylinder under the hood.

Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1988 Ford Mustang LX fastback. The 5.0-liter LX model was popular, as it offered all the power of the GT but was 200 pounds lighter.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1989 Ford Mustang LX coupe. As a special for the Mustang's 25th anniversary, all cars produced between April 17, 1989, and April 17, 1990, sported the Mustang's running horse logo on the dash with "25 years" inscribed underneath.

Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1994 Ford Mustang convertible prototype. The year 1994 brought on the fourth generation of Mustangs. The Fox-4 platform was re-engineered and structurally stiffer. The hatchback body style was discontinued, leaving the two-door coupe and convertible.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1995 Ford Mustang GT. This was the final model year for the 5.0-liter V-8.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 1996 Ford Mustang Cobra Coupe. The Cobra featured Ford's new 4.6-liter modular V-8 -- the first production Ford V-8 to use overhead camshafts. The Cobra used dual-overhead cams and four valves per cylinder to generate 305 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque.

Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 2000 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra. The third SVT Cobra R was produced with a limited run of 300 cars. It featured a 385-horsepower 5.4-liter DOHC V-8, and it came with the first six-speed manual transmission ever in a Mustang.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 2001 Ford Mustang Bullitt GT. Inspired by the 1968 Mustang GT390 driven by Steve McQueen in the movie classic "Bullitt," the Mustang Bullitt GT was also finished in the same dark green as in the movie.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 2002 Ford Mustang GT Premium convertible. Two of Mustang's domestic competitors fell to the wayside this year, as the production of the Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird was suspended.

Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 2004 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra. The 2004 models were the last to be manufactured in Ford's Dearborn Assembly Plant, which had produced every model year Mustang since its inception.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 2005 Ford Mustang GT. The year 2005 brought in the fifth generation of the Mustang, with a wheelbase 6 inches longer than the car it replaced. The platform was unique to the Mustang and not shared with any other models. This year's Mustang models were produced in Ford's plant in Flat Rock, Michigan.

Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 2008 Mustang Shelby GT convertible. Ford collaborated with Carroll Shelby to develop the most powerful production Mustang built up to that time, the 2007 Shelby GT500 Mustang. Available as either a convertible or coupe, it was powered by a 500-horsepower supercharged 5.4-liter V-8.

Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 2013 Ford Shelby GT500. The GT500 was fitted with a supercharged 5.8-liter V-8 that generated 662 horsepower, enough to provide a top speed of just over 200 mph.

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Ford's Mustang turns 50 – 2014 Ford Mustang convertible. The Ford Mustang began its 50th year of production with more style choices and new colors, in addition to segment-leading technology and driver tools.